Flat package.



R. W. SEXTON.

FLAT PACKAGE. DAPPUCATION FILED JAN. 11. 1912.

1L fi go Patented June 12, 1917.

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APPLICATION FILED JAN-11 1917- 1 2%9 799, Patented June 12, 191?.

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FLAT PACKAGE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 112, new.

Application fi1ed January 11, 1917. Serial No. 141,749.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RbY W. SEx'roN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of lVytheville, county of Wythe, and State of Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Flat Packages, set

forth in the following specification.

by handling before they are actually fixedin position to a plece of linen which is to be embroidered. It is an advantage in the selling 'of' such articles that they be displayed in such a manner that the prospective purchaser can see the actual design and also the general nature of the structure of the form but, at the same time, it is necessary to protect the form from injurious handling and'from the injurious action of the atmosphere. v

In View of the fact that embroidery forms phabet, each in many sizes and each 'in many styles of type, it is advantageous to provide for packaging in such 'a way that a classified arrangement may be maintained. It is likewise desirable to accomplish the packaging in such a manner as to take up as little space as possible, while maintaining the other enumerated advantages. v

The object of the present invention is to provide an embodiment to achieve the aforeenumerated desirable features both singly in sub-combination and in complete combination. I

The invention will better be understood by reference to the illustrative embodiments to which the claims are directed and which are described in the following specification in connection with the drawings, which form a part hereof. In the drawings Figure 1 'unit package; Fig. 2 is a front elevation illustrative of an article of the type to be dispensed; Fig. 3 is a front elevation of a.

label for use with the envelop of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 isa front elevation of a complete unit package; Fig. 5 is a vertical section through the structure of Fig. 4; Fig. 6 is a front elevation, with parts broken away,

showing a fiat package; and Fig. 7 is a perspective View showing a filing cabinet containing a number of multiple unit packages.

A backing 1, in the form of a flat, opaque label, is provided and is selected so that its outer surface 2 is of a frictional character. The label 1 may conveniently be provided with nomenclature along the top margin such as the symbols 3 and 4:, to identify the classification of the article in the package. It is not, however, necessary to provide the label 1 with a reproduction of the design of the article such as the embroidery form 5, representing the letter D, as shown in Fig. 2-, as will presently appear. The advantage of this is, apparent in that one set of labels with the designation as indicated by 3 and 4: is sufficient for an entire alphabet of the size and pattern, one letter of which is indicated by the D of Fig. 2. This reduces the number of separate kinds of labels twenty-six times for the letters of the alphabet alone. In any suitable manner the. three elements, the label'l, the embroidery form 5, and the envelop 6, are brought into assembled relation, as indicated in Fig. 4:. The embroidery form 5 may be placed with its rear face, which usually has somewhat sharp edges, and readily grips any frictional surface, upon the frictional surface 2 of the label 1 so that its on the face 2 of the label 1 and inside the envelop ishaphazard, it being understood that the label and envelop are preferably considerably larger than the article such as the embroidery form 5. This haphazard assembling sometimes positions the embroidery form 5 centrally, asshown in Fig. 4, and sometimes more or less to one side and toward the bottom or top of the in- -closure. ,Inother words, this haphazard positioning of the embroidery form is in-. tentional but, when once assembled as shown in Fig. 4:, the outer face 8 of the envelop 6 presses the embroidery form 'against the ,frictional surface 2 of the label 1 and its relative position remains stationary. The

envelop 6 should be suchthat its outer face pattern of the embroidery form, but its texture and its thickness may both be determined quite easily by the sense of touch from the entire package.

A retail store must keep on hand, of course, more than one of each particular embroidery form and they must bekept in such a way as to be readily accessible at the call of a customer. To this end a num her, say a dozen or more of the individual packages shown in Fig. 4: are assembled by superposing one on the other, and are in-.

closed in a filing envelop 10, which bears legends 30'and 40, corresponding to the individual package legends 3 and 4, and, in addition, a designation 11- corresponding to the pattern of the embroidery form. Great economy in the total thickness of an assembled flat package such as that shown in Fig. 6, is brought about by the haphazard arrangement of the individual embroidery forms 5 contained. If the embroidery forms were all similarly ositioned, the package would, of course, taiie on the summation of the thicknesses of the total number of forms. The haphazard arrangement reduces this total thickness.

Any suitable number of the flat packages 10 may be assembled in a dispensing cabinet 12, it being possible to arrange the flat packages alphabetically, as indicated in F 1g. 1. It is preferred that each of the envelope making up the multiple unit package have a section 13 along the upper end, which is weakened by a series of perforations 1%, so that it'may readily be torn oif. When this end' ortion is torn ofi' the outer containing enve. ops are just as easily maintained in an indexedarrangement, and the contents of each envelop are accessible for the dispensing of one or more of the individual package embroidery forms. In some instances'a retail dispenser may prefer to open each of aaepee the outer envelops 10 immediately upon receiving his stock from the manufacturer or, if desired, the outer envelops may be kept closed until an actual call bya customer has been made for an embroidery form contained therein.

What is claimed and what is desired to be secured by United States Letters Patent is:

1.' A dispensing package for embroidery forms comprising, a flat opaque label having a friction surface; a single embroidery form of a size smaller than said label lying face up in frictional contactupon said friction surface and otherwise free to move across said label, and an envelop of transparent air-excludin material completely inclosing both said 1a el and said embroidery form and maintaining said frictional contact for all positions of the three part unit comprising the label, the embroidery form and the envelop but aiding a haphazard positioning of said embroidery form upon said label.

2. A dispensing package for embroidery forms comprising a fiat label having a triotion surface; a single embroidery form of a size smaller than said label lying face up in frictional contact 11 on said friction surface, and otherwise ree to move across said label; an envelop of transparent air-excluding material completely inclcsing said embroidery form and the friction surface of said label and tending to maintain said frictional contact for all positions of the three part unit comprising the label, the embroidery form and the envelop but aiding an initial haphazard positioning of said embroidery form upon said label; a plurality of said three-part units superposed one on another and forming a stack of substantially uniform thickness because of the haphazard distribution of the embroidery forms; and a pocket for holding said stack in assembled relation and exerting pressure upon said stack to increase said frictional contact between the embroidery form and label of each said three-part unit.

In witness whereof I have signed my name to this specification, this 3rd day of January, 1917.

ROY W. SEXTON. 

